Flexible pruning saw

ABSTRACT

A saw for use in cutting limbs from a standing tree, wherein the saw is constructed of a plurality of blade elements pivotally attached to each other in serial fashion to form an elongated flexible saw means. Each blade element includes a plurality of cutting teeth, with the blade elements being connected to each other so that the first cutting tooth of adjacent pivotally connected blade elements overlap each other. Elongated rope means are attached to opposite ends of the flexible saw means whereby the flexible saw means can be reciprocated around a limb to cause the cutting teeth to sever the limb from the standing tree. The flexible saw means is propelled into position over a limb of a standing tree by attaching a weight means to an elongated flexible rope means and by throwing the weight and rope over the limb, thereafter pulling the flexible saw into position around the limb to be cut.

United States Patent 1 Meadows 1 21 App]. No.: 214,844

[52] US. Cl. 145/31 R, 83/830 [51] Int. Cl B27b 21/00 [58] Field ofSearch 143/135 R, 133 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS349,833 9/1886 Aspen; 143/135 R FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 65,85712/1892 Germany 143/135 R 2,170 8/1866 Great Britain 143/135 R 3,747,652[4 1 July 24,1973

Primqry Exarrriner-Donal d R. Schran A ttorney Ed ward Taylor Ormsby,Jr. et a].

[5 7] ABSTRACT A saw for use in cutting limbs from a standing tree,wherein the saw is constructed of a plurality of blade elementspivotally attached to each other in serial fashion to form an elongatedflexible saw means. Each blade element includes a plurality of cuttingteeth, with the blade elements being connected to each other so that thefirst cutting tooth of adjacent pivotally connected blade elementsoverlap each other. Elongated rope means are attached to opposite endsof the flexible saw means whereby the flexible saw means can bereciprocated around a limb to cause the cutting teeth to sever the limbfrom the standing tree. The flexible saw means is propelled intoposition over a limb of a standing tree by attaching a weight means toan elongated flexible rope means and by throwing the weight and ropeover the limb, thereafter pulling the flexible saw into position aroundthe limb to be cut.

5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures Newton. William J.

1 FLEXIBLE PRUNING SAW BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This inventionrelates to a saw limbs from a tree to maintain the for use in pruningsurrounding areas safe for use and attractive in appearance. Moreparticularly, this invention is concerned with a pruning saw which canbe propelled into position over limbs located out of reach of a personstanding on the ground or on a ladder, and wherein the saw can be usedto sever the limbs from the tree.

In maintaining the yards around our homesites attractive in appearanceand safe for use, it is often necessary to remove some of the dead limbsfrom the trees. Also, it is often necessary to pruhe certain other limbsfrom the trees to improve the growth of the trees.

In the past, most of these limbs that should be pruned have been severedby using an arcuate-shaped pruning saw which is attached to the end ofan elongated extension rod, with the limb being severed by reciprocatingthe elongated extension rod sufficiently to cause the pruning saw tosever the limbs. Another method of pruning unwanted limbs is by climingthe tree and utilizing a bow saw to sever the limbs to be out. Otherlimbs to be severed are often cut by utilizing a ladder propped againstthe tree and by climbing the ladder to an area adjacent the limb andutilizing a bow or other saw means for severing the limbs.

However, sometimes the limbs that should becut are located at a heightinthe tree which will prevent the use of ladders or'elongated extensionrods for supporting pruning saws and should this be the case, the onlyother way of cutting these limbs is by climbing the tree with some typeof saw means to remove these limbs. Climbing a tree to sever limbstherefrom is hazardous unless the person doing the job is an experiencedtree surgeon.

There have been a number of flexible saw means constructed which includea plurality of pivotally connected link elements wherein certain of thelink elements are provided with cutting teeth. However, these prior artflexible saw means are complex in construction, expensive to manufactureand unreliable in operation.

Further, these prior art flexible cutting elements are not adapted foruse in cutting or severing limbs from a standing tree because the linkelements having the cutting teeth thereon are not properly located toeffectively make a cut through which the chain element can pass in acutting operation.

Another problem with these prior art flexible saw means is that it isdifficult to properly position these saw elements in a cuttingoperation, since the pivotal location of the chain elements relative tothe cutting teeth does not enable the cutting teeth to be properlyoriented in a cutting operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 1 attached to opposite ends thereof, with theflexible saw means being manipulated in a sawing operation by applyingalternate tension force to the two elongated rope means, whereby theflexible saw means will be moved in a reciprocating motion around a limbcausing the cutting teeth to effect a continuous removal of wood chipsfrom the limb until a cut is made through the limb.

One important feature of the present invention is the detailedconnection of the blade elements wherein the blade elements areoverlapped relative to each other so that adjacent teeth aresuperimposed when the flexible saw means is oriented in a longitudinallyextended relationship.

Another important feature of the present invention is the location ofthe connection between the elongated rope means and the cutting teeth ofthe flexible saw means, with the location detailed such that a tensionforce applied to the opposite ends of the flexible saw means will passalong a line intersecting an intermedi ate portion of the cutting teeth,and wherein this location is spaced relative to the pivotal connectionsof the blade elements for aiding in orienting the flexible saw meansrelative to a limb in a cutting operation.

A further important feature of the present invention is the method inwhich a limb is severed utilizing the flexible saw means of the presentinvention. The method is performed by attaching an elongated rope havinga weight means to one end of the flexible saw means, throwing the weightover a limb to be cut, thereafter pulling the flexible sawmeans intoposition around the limb and applying alternate tension force to the twoflexible handle means. t

It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide apruning saw which will permit a limb to be severed from a standing treeat a remote location from the ground supporting surface.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a method forsevering limbs at remote locations in a standing tree without the use ofladders and extensible handle elements.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a flexible sawmeans detailed in construction to aid in the orientation of the flexiblesaw means in a correct cutting alignment when tension force is appliedto the flexible saw means.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a flexiblepruning saw which is simple in construction, economical to manufactureand reliable in performance.

These and other objects and advantages of the details of constructionwill become apparent after reading the following description of theillustrative embodiment, with reference to the attached drawings whereinlike reference numerals have been used to refer to like parts throughoutthe several figures, and. wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view showingaflexible pruning saw embodying the principles of the present inventionbeing used in a limb severing operation;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the flexible pruning saw shown inFIG. 1, with certain portions of the elongated rope handle means beingbroken away for purpose of clarity; and,

FIG. 3 is a sectional viewtaken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2. Y

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing,the present invention will be described with reference to a flexiblepruning saw which is generally represented by the reference numeral 10.The flexible pruning saw will be described with reference to a pluralityof blade elements generally represented by the reference numeral 11 anda pair of elongated rope handle means 12, 13.

The function of the flexible pruning saw embodying the principles of thepresent invention is to provide a method of severing limbs located at aremote elevation in a standing tree without the use of ladders orwithout an individual climbing a tree to reach a position adjacent thelimbs to be severed.

As shown in FIG. 2, each of the blade elements 11 is constructed ofconventional metal stock material substantially planar and formed in asubstantially trapezoidal shape. The trapezoidal-shaped blade elements11 are provided with a plurality of cutting teeth 14 formed along oneedge. The two outermost teeth 14 form two edge portions l5, 16 whichdiverge outwardly and include inwardly curved portions l7, 18. Thecurved portions 17, 18 merge with a substantially straight top line 19.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each of the blade elements 11 are providedwith a pair of apertures 20, 21 which will permit adjacent bladeelements to be pivotally connected to each other in serial fashion toform the elongated flexible saw means 10. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3,adjacent blade elements are pivotally connected to each other by the useof grommets 25 which are inserted through the openings 20, 21 ofadjacent overlapped blade elements, with the grommets 25 being flared at26, 27 to maintain the blade elements in an assembled relationship.

Blade elements 11 are pivotally connected to each other wherebyalternate blade elements are located in common planes to provide aminimum thickness to the flexible saw means. The adjacent pivotallyconnected blade elements are overlapped a sufficient amount such thatthe adjacent teeth of two pivotally connected blade elements aresuperimposed relative to each other when the blade elements are orientedin a longitudinally aligned relationship, and with the cutting teethbeing angularly displaced a sufficient amount to overlap the nextcutting teeth when oriented in an arcuate path around a limb,substantially as shown in FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the flexible saw means is provided with a pair ofoutermost blade elements which are represented by the reference numerals30, 31. The outermost blade elements 30, 31 are formed to includeextensions 32, 33, respectively, which are provided with apertures 34,35. The apertures 34, 35 are adapted to receive handle connecting linkmembers 40. The location of apertures 34, 35 is detailed such that atension force applied to the opposite ends of the flexible saw means ina sawing operation will pass along a line which intersects anintermediate portion of the blade element cutting teeth 14. Further, theapertures 34, 35 are detailed in location such that the line of tensionforce developed through the blade cutting teeth 14 will be along linesubstantially a line and spaced relative to the pivotal connection ofthe blade elements. This detailed location of the handle connectingmeans will aid in orienting the flexible saw means so that the cuttingteeth 14 are directed inwardly into contact with a limb to be severedwhen the rope handle means 12, 13 are manipulated in a sawing operation.

As shown in FIG. 2, the handle link connecting members 40 are secured tothe rope handle means 12, 13 by conventional binding means 41. As shownin FIG. 1, opposite ends of the elongated rope handle means 12, 13 arealso provided with a connecting link 40.

As shown in FIG. 1, a saw propelling means generally represented by thereference numeral 50 is provided for locating the flexible saw meansover a limb to be cut in a cutting operation. The saw propelling means50 is constructed of an elongated rope and includes a weight 51 attachedto one end and is provided with a releasable link member 52 connected toan opposite end.

OPERATION In utilizing the flexible saw means embodying the principlesof the present invention to perform a pruning operation, the sawpropelling means 50 is attached to one of the elongated rope handles l2,13. The saw propellingmeans 50 is attached to the rope handle means byattaching the releasable link 52 to a link member 40. With the sawpropelling means 50 attached to one of the rope handle means 12, 13 thesaw is then positioned relative to a limb to be severed by throwing theweight element 51 over the limb. The weight 51 will then pull the ropeattached thereto around the limb,with the weight falling down by gravityto permit the worker to grasp the weighted rope. The worker will thenpull the rope means 50 until the saw 10 is positioned around the limbsubstantiallyas shown in FIG. 1.

Due to the detailed location of the pivotal connections of the bladeelements relative to the point of connection of the rope handle meansl2, 13, the blade elements will be oriented such that the cutting teeth14 are directed inwardly toward the limb to be cut and the flexible sawmeans will assume an arcuate path around the peripheral edge of thelimb. A pruning operation is then performed by applying alternatetension force to the rope handles 12, 13 to cause the flexible saw meansto reciprocate around the limb. The reciprocating sawing operation iscontinued until the limb has been severed from the tree. In utilizingthe flexible saw means of the present invention to perform a limbpruning operation, the worker can be located at a remote locationlaterally displaced relative to the limb whereby the falling limb willnot injure the worker.

When it is desirable to sever a number of adjacent vertically spacedlimbs from a single tree, the flexible saw means is propelled intoposition over the top limb to be cut with the rope handle meansembracing a number of vertically spaced limbs. The pruning operation isthen performed by cutting the top limb, allowing the flexible saw meansto drop onto the next lower limb. The next lower limb is then severed atwhich time the flexible saw means will drop onto a next lower limb. Thistype of pruning operation is continued until the number of limbsembraced by the rope handle means have been severed.

The flexible saw means embodying the principles of the present inventioncan be constructed in a number of elongated and transverse dimensions,with the number of cutting teeth being varied in order to obtain theoptimum cutting characteristics.

It now becomes apparent that the above described illustrative embodimentof the flexible pruning saw is capable of obtaining the above statedobjects and advantages. It is obvious that those skilled in the art maymake modifications in the details of construction without departing fromthe spirit of the invention which is to be limited only by the scope ofthe appended claims. What is claimed is:

1. An improved saw for use in cutting limbs from a standing tree,comprising a plurality of blade elements pivotally attached to eachother in serial fashion to form an elongated flexible saw means, eachblade element including a plurality of cutting teeth, said bladeelements being connected together so that the first cutting tooth ofeach blade element overlaps a tooth of an adjacent element, thearrangement being such that alternate blade elements are coplanarrelative to each other, said pivotal connections being made along a linesubstantially parallel to and spaced outwardly from said cutting teeth;and handle grasping means attached to opposite end blade elements ofsaid flexible saw means, said handle grasping means being so located asto apply a tension force substantiallyal'ong the line of the cut- 6 tingteeth.

2. An improved saw as in claim 1 wherein the pivotal connections betweensaid blade elements comprise grommets having their end portionsoutwardly flared to maintain said elements in assembled relationship.

3. An improved saw as in claim 1 wherein each said handle grasping meansincludes ailexible rope of such a length that the saw can bereciprocatedover a tree limb from a remote location.

4. An improved saw as in claim 3 wherein each of said blade elementsincludes four cutting teeth.

5. An improved saw as in claim 3 wherein each end of said rope isprovided with ahandle and wherein a saw propelling means is providedwhich comprises a rope having a weight attached to one of its ends, theother end of said rope being adapted forattachment to one of saidhandles, whereby the weight may be thrown over a tree limb and will thenfall and permit a worker to pull the saw over the limb.

* i I i

1. An improved saw for use in cutting limbs from a standing tree,comprising a plurality of blade elements pivotally attached to eachother in serial fashion to form an elongated flexible saw means, eachblade element including a plurality of cutting teeth, said bladeelements being connected together so that the first cutting tooth ofeach blade element overlaps a tooth of an adjacent element, thearrangement being such that alternate blade elements are coplanarrelative to each other, said pivotal connections being made along a linesubstantially parallel to and spaced outwardly from said cutting teeth;and handle grasping means attached to opposite end blade elements ofsaid flexible saw means, said handle grasping means being so located asto apply a tension force substantially along the line of the cuttingteeth.
 2. An improved saw as in claim 1 wherein the pivotal connectionsbetween said blade elements comprise grommets having their end portionsoutwardly flared to maintain said elements in assembled relationship. 3.An improved saw as in claim 1 whereIn each said handle grasping meansincludes a flexible rope of such a length that the saw can bereciprocated over a tree limb from a remote location.
 4. An improved sawas in claim 3 wherein each of said blade elements includes four cuttingteeth.
 5. An improved saw as in claim 3 wherein each end of said rope isprovided with a handle and wherein a saw propelling means is providedwhich comprises a rope having a weight attached to one of its ends, theother end of said rope being adapted for attachment to one of saidhandles, whereby the weight may be thrown over a tree limb and will thenfall and permit a worker to pull the saw over the limb.